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F. GIRLOT.

B UILDING BLOCK 0R MEMBER.

. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 29, I9I3. c 1,195,670. I Patented Aug. 42, 1916.

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F. GIRLOT.

BUILDING BLOCK 0R MEMBER.

APPHCATION FILED SEPT. 29. 1913.

1,195,670. Patented Aug. 22, 1916.

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FRANZ GIRLOT, 0F BRUSSELS, BELGIUM.

BUILDING BLOCK OR MEMBER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Au 22, 1916.

Application filed September 29, 1913. Serial No. 792,463.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANZ GIRLoT, a subject of the King of Belgium, residing at Brussels, in the Kingdom of Belgium, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Building Blocks or Members, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a building block or member of the kind comprising a body portion having its inner face provided with projections extending therefrom.

One object of my invention is to secure a building block or member of this class adapted to be used for the erection of buildings of any kind and more especially adapted to impart to a wall composed of such blocks a particularly great resistance or cohesiveness.

Building blocks or members comprising a body portion provided with projections are well-known; in said blocks, however as hitherto constructed, the projections have been generally disposed so as to serve for a given purpose only, for instance, to secure hooks or shoulders interlocking adjacent blocks in a given direction usually in the longitudinal direction, that is to say in the several courses or rows, or to form vertical lines or passages for the circulation of the air. But none of said known constructions is adapted to answer simultaneously all the requirements of the practice, or in other words none of the building blocks or elements previously known can be used indifferently either to secure the interlocking of the blocks of the same course or row in the longitudinal or horizontal direction, or to secure a similar connection in a vertical direction, that is to say between the blocks of the successive courses or rows while provid-v ing in each case, fines or passages for the circulation of the air. This is a first object of my invention.

A further object of my invention is to so construct the building block that certain parts of said blocks, when they are superposed in courses or rows, form vertical uninterrupted supporting pillars inside the hollow wall, thus increasing its resistance to vertical loads. And a further important object of my invention consists in constructing the block and arranging its essential parts in such a manner that it is possible to obtain, by conveniently superposing a plurality of similar blocks, a suitable circulation of air throughout the section of the wall or structure, said blocks forming 1n this case inside the Wall a plurality of intercommunicating chambers or compartments permitting free circulation of air in all directions thus assisting the drying of the building structure and allowing the use of said chambers or compartments for the circulation of hot air, the faces of the wall or other structure being then used directly as heating or radiating surfaces.

Vith these objects in view my invention essentially consists in special combinations and arrangements of parts as hereinafter fully described and pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring to the annexed drawings in which similar characters of reference refer to similar parts throughout the several views: Figure 1 is a top view of a build ing block or element constructed according to my invention. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the block shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an end view of the same block. Fig. 4c is a view similar to Fig. 1 but giving a top view of two juxtaposed building blocks. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the building block shown in Figs. 12-3. Fig. 5 is a top view of a building block having the same properties and qualities as the block or element shown in Fig. 1 but derived from the juxtaposition of two blocks as shown in Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a front elevation of the building block or element shown in Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is an end view of the same block 7 or element. Fig. 8 is a front elevation of a wall composed of blocks constructed according to my invention. Fig. 9 is a hori zontal section taken on line A B Fig. 8. Fig. 10 is a horizontal section taken on line C D, Fig. 8. Fig. 11 is a horizontal section taken on line A B Fig. 8 but showing the intercommunicating chambers or compartments resulting from the superposition of two courses or rows of building blocks or elements arranged as shown separately in Figs. 9 and 10. Fig. 12 is a top view showing interlocking blocks in three successive courses or rows situated at different levels. Fig. 13 is an end view corresponding to Fig. 12 and Fig. 14 is a vertical section taken on line E F Fig. 12.

A building block or element constructed according to my invention comprises a body portion 1 having a front or outer face 2, two end surfaces 3 at right angles thereto and an inner face 4 which is preferably slightly curved as shown in Fig. 1 so as to form a thickened or reinforced part 5 in the central part of the body portion 1 corresponding to the axis 6-6 of the block.

The inner face 4: of the body portion of the building block is provided with two laterally projecting arms or braces 7 which will be called hereinafter the projections, extending obliquely therefrom, symmetrically with regard to the axis 6-6 of the block or rela tively to a vertical plane perpendicular to the outer face of the block and passing through the middle line of the block. Said projections consequently form acute angles with the inner face 4: of the body portion 1; they have parallel lateral faces 8 and 9 and extend from the body portion 1 to a distance which is variable with the thickness of the wall or brickwork which is to be erected but which generally speaking, does notexceed substantially half the len th of the body portion 1. Each projection is formed of two parts 10-11 having each approximately half the height 12 of the body portion 1. The part 11 extends obliquely substan tially to half the length of part 10 and is provided at its end with a face 13 substantially parallel to the outer face 2 of the body portion. The part 10 extends from the inner face of the body portion to half its length with a thickness substantially twice the thickness of the part 11 (Fig. 1) and is then reduced to the same thickness as the part 11 in such a manner that its transverse parallel faces 14-15 are situated in the same planes as the parallel faces 1617 of the part 11 but at a different level. Each part 10 is also provided at its end with a face 18 substantially parallel to the outer face 2 of the body portion. For building purposes the blocks or elements thus obtained are placed side by side in courses or rows as shown in Fig 4 so as to be adjacent to each other with the end surfaces 3, the blocks of one course 00- I operating with opposite blocks as will be hereinafter described.

Figs. 8 to 12 give several methods of assembling or interlocking the building blocks and will show how the several results above stated are secured in practice. Supposing it is proposed to erect a wall or other similar structure in which the building blocks interlock in longitudinal direction in each course, the wall being provided inside with intercommunicating chambers or compartments, such a construction being made possible by the invention. A first row or course 19 (Fig. 8) of building blocks 20 (Fig. 9) is placed longitudinally upon a suitable foundation in such a manner that said blocks present the parts 11 of the projections 7 directed upwardly. The said blocks cooperate in the same course with similar blocks 21 which are placed in a reverse position in such a manner that the parts 11 of the projections 7 come to rest in the same plane as the parts 10 of the blocks 20 while the parts 10 of said blocks 21 rest upon the parts 10 of the blocks 20, the face lt of parts 10 of the blocks 21 being adjacent to the face 16 of parts 11 of blocks 20. As shown in Fig. 9, when the blocks are conveniently walled up they are firmly hooked together in horizontal direction forming simultaneously air compartments 22 of triangular form inside the wall. If then a plurality of similar courses or rows are superposed, the wall thus built up will be a hollow wall having two faces connected together by transverse partitions or pillars disposed at an angle to the outer faces of the wall, extending throughout the height of the wall, interlocked in longitudinal and transverse directions and forming vertical fines or air passages 22. But if upon the lowest course or row 19 the building blocks are arranged in the next course as shown in Fig. 10 that is to say in such a manner that the central part of the body portion of the blocks comes to rest upon two adjacent end surfaces 3 of the building blocks of the lower course (broken-course fashion as shown in Fig. 8), and if upon the second course, a third course is again arranged as the first course and so on, then, as it will be observed from Fig. 11, the air compartments 22 formed in one course will be in communication in their central part 23 (Fig. 11) with the corresponding air compartments formed by the building blocks in the next upper and lower courses while simultaneously being in communication by the triangular portions 24: with the corresponding triangular portions of the air compartments formed by the building blocks on the right and left side in the next upper and lower courses, thus securing a free circulation of air, not only in vertical direction, but in all directions in such a manner that the total surface of the wall can be used eventually as a heating or radiating surface. In this case as shown in Fig. 11 the projections 7 of the building blocks in one course are crossing the corresponding projections in the next courses thus forming at the intersection inside the wall, uninterrupted pillars of brick work increasing the resistance of the wall to vertical loads.

In the example above described consequently it has been shown how it is possible to interlock the building blocks in horizontal and transverse directions and to form simultaneously either vertical fines or air passages or intercommunicating air chambers 0r compartments. It will now be explained how it is also possible, with the same building blocks or elements to secure, if necessary or desired, interlocking of the blocks simultaneously in longitudinal, trans verse and vertical directions. In this. case the first course or row 25 (Fig. 12) of building blocks is placed as shown for the blocks 20 in Fig. 9 that is to say with the parts 11 of the projections 7 upward but the opposite building blocks 21 are placed in a second row 26 so as to rest with the lower face of the parts 10 upon the upper face of parts 10 of the blocks 20, in such a manner that the building blocks 21 in one face of the wall are placed in a horizontal plane passing through the middle of the height of the building blocks 20 in the opposite face of the wall (Figs. 1314). In the third course or row 27 the building blocks are placed again just like the building blocks 20 in the first course 25 and so on in such a manner that the horizontal joints 28 in the two faces of the wall are placed at different levels. When using this method of assembling the building blocks, the second course 26 of blocks 21 must obviously be supported by supplemental supporting blocks 29 of suitable shape corresponding for instance to half a block 21. With this method consequently the building blocks interlock simultaneously in longitudinal, transverse and vertical directions while the projections entangle so as to be supported by each other but the air passages 22 are only vertical flues as already secured with known constructions.

My invention is obviously not restricted to the exact disposition and shape of building block or element just described. It will be obvious from a consideration of Figs. 4 and 5 for example, that a somewhat diiferent arrangement can be derived from the construction shown in Figs. 1 to 3 if two building blocks are juxtaposed as shown in Fig. 4, are united together by their adjacent end surfaces 3 and are then out along their middle axis 6 6. The building block 30 thus obtained presents exactly the same features as the block shown in Figs. 1-3 and can obviously be used with the same advantages for the same purposes. The body portion 1 is also thickened or reinforced in the central part 5 and the projections 7 are also disposed symmetrically with relation to the axis (3 6.

The building blocks or elements may be constructed in any suitable material, for instance, they may be made in concrete or cement with or without iron armature, or for special purposes, in wood or metal or any other convenient material.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. A building block or member comprising a body portion having an outer and an inner face, said body portion being provided with separate, independent projections extending laterally from the inner face, each of said projections having a plurality of both vertical and horizontal surfaces formed at predetermined points in their length, breadth and depth, and adapted to contact and interlock directly without the use of other bonds with similar projections of other blocks in opposite rows as well as with blocks in the rows above or below it, said projections being disposed symmetrically relative to the vertical plane passing though the middle line of the body portion at right-angles to the outer face.

2. A building block or member comprising a body portion having an outer and an inner face, said body portion being provided with end surfaces at right-angles to the outer face, two separated projections extending from the ends of said body portion, each forming an acute angle with the inner face of the body portion, each of said projections having a plurality of both vertical and horizontal surfaces formed at predetermined'points in their length, breadth, and depth, and adapted to interlock directly without the use of other bonds with similar projections of other blocks in opposite rows as well as with blocks in the rows above or below it, said projections being disposed symmetrically relatively to the vertical plane passing through the middle line of the body portion at right-angles to the outer face, and said body portion having a thickened or reinforced portion midway of its length between said projections.

3. A building block or member comprising a body portion having an outer and an inner face, said body portion being provided with end surfaces at right-angles to the outer face of the body portion and with two separated projections extending laterally from the inner face, each of said projections being adapted to interlock directly without the use of other bonds with similar projections of other blocks in opposite rows as well as with blocks in the rows above or below it, said two projections having parallel lateral faces, and each having a plurality of both vertical and horizontal surfaces formed at predetermined points in their length, breadth, and depth, each of said projections forming an acute angle with the inner face of the body portion and being disposed symmetrically relatively to the vertical plane passing through the middle line of the body portion at rightangles to the outer face.

4. A building block or member comprising a body portion, projections extending from one side of said body portion, said projections having a plurality of both vertical and horizontal surfaces formed at predetermined points in their length, breadth and depth, and adapted to interlock in a plurality of planes with similar projections on other blocks.

5. A building block or member comprising a body portion, projections extending from said body portion, said projections consisting of a plurality of parts adapted to contact and interlock in horizontal and vertical planes with the similar parts of other blocks, the vertical planes being inclined at equal and acute angles with respect to the body portion.

6. A building block or member comprising a body portion, projections extending from said body portion, said projections consisting of a plurality of parts adapted to contact and interlock in horizontal and vertical planes with the similar parts of other blocks, said projections having parallel side-faces which extend from the body portion of the block, and endfaces parallel to the body portion of the block, the side faces extending in vertical planes inclined at an acute angle with respect to the body portion of the block.

7 A building block or member comprising a body portion having an outer and an inner face, said body portion being provided with end surfaces at right angles to the outer face of the body portion and with two projections having parallel lateral faces and being each composed of two parts eX- tending substantially half the height of the body portion, one of said parts projecting from the inner face of the body portion to substantially half the distance to which the second part projects therefrom, and both parts being provided with end surfaces substantially parallel to the outer face of the body portion, the said projections being disinterlocking posed symmetrically relatively to the vertical plane passing through the middle line of the body portion at right angles to the outer face.

8. A building block or member comprising a body portion having an outer and an inner face, said body portion being provided with end surfaces at right angles to the outer face of the body portion and with two projections having parallel lateral faces and being each composed of two parts extending half the height of the body portion, the first of said parts projecting from the inner face of the body portion to substantially half the distance to which the second part projects therefrom, and said second part having a thickness substantially twice the thickness of the first part at the place where said second part projects from the inner face of the body portion While the end of said second part has substantially the same thickness as the first part of the projection, both projections being disposed symmetrically relatively to the vertical plane passing through the middle line of the body portion at right angles to the outer face.

In testimony whereof I have aflixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FRANZ GIRLOT.

Witnesses JACQUES SEDE, CHAS. ROY NASMITH.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Batents, Washington, I). G. 

